The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which is the nodal agency for the LCA programme, is confident of meeting this deadline even as the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has expressed doubts. Last week, HAL Chairman R Madhavan said that the attaining FOC by the end of December could be a problem and that it could be pushed to next year.

Speaking at the foundation day of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, Goyal said that it should make a commitment to its customers with a timetable for its freight trains. "Just like the Tejas trains have done in Delhi-Lucknow and Mumbai-Ahmedabad, we should be willing to give a commitment of timely delivery," he added.

"The wheel of the Vande Bharat Express developed some technical glitch. We are rectifying it. If it is done in time for Saturday's journey, then it will run as usual, otherwise we will use the Tejas rake," northern railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar told PTI. Currently, there are only two rakes of the Vande Bharat Express.